Los Angeles to Hawaii
Private Jet Charter
Los Angeles to Hawaii is about five and a half hours in the air, 2217 nautical miles from Van Nuys across open Pacific to Honolulu, or a little more to Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, on a super-midsize, heavy or long-range jet. Van Nuys to Hawaii is the longest overwater sector the desk flies from the West Coast, and it is the range of the aircraft, not the runway at either end, that decides who can fly it. You land two or three hours earlier on the clock.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 11 September 2026
Route overview
Airport and airspace facts checked against the FAA aeronautical information publications and Icarus Jet operations data.
Get your number
Get a number for your dates
Tell us the dates, the passengers and which island. The desk quotes the aircraft with the range for the crossing, arranges the FBOs at Van Nuys and in Hawaii, and tells you what the number covers before you book.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203. The desk is staffed 24/7.
The route
Why fly private from Los Angeles to Hawaii?
Los Angeles to Hawaii is the Pacific sector on the Los Angeles desk: 2217 nautical miles of open water, five to six hours in the air, and a landing on the island you are actually staying on rather than the one the airline flies to. Honolulu for Oahu, Kahului for Maui, Lihue for Kauai, Kona or Hilo for the Big Island. The families who winter in Wailea and Kohala, the owners with a house on Kauai and the groups who would fill a row of first class all fly it, and the private cabin turns a five-hour crossing into the first afternoon of the holiday.
Why private works here
Leave Van Nuys from an FBO fifteen minutes after you arrive, in the Valley rather than at LAX, and land in Hawaii with the car on the ramp for the resort. No inter-island connection through Honolulu, no baggage carousel with the surfboards and the golf bags, and the aircraft leaves when the holiday ends rather than when the airline schedule says. Direct to Maui or Kauai from the mainland is the difference private makes here.
Aircraft fit
The sector is about 2,500 statute miles of ocean with no diversion airport in the middle, so the aircraft must carry the range with reserves. Light and midsize jets cannot: a Citation CJ2 at about 1,500 nautical miles of range, a Hawker 400XP at about 1,500 and a Phenom 300 at about 2,010 all fall short. A super-midsize jet carries eight or nine with the range and is the usual answer. A heavy jet carries ten to sixteen with full luggage and room to sleep. A long-range jet is fastest and the choice for a party that continues on across the Pacific.
Advisor note
Hawaii is the one West Coast sector where we start with the aircraft, not the passengers. Everything we send across carries the overwater range with reserves and the extended overwater equipment the rules require, and we plan the crossing for the winds, which favour the way home. Once the aircraft is right the rest is simple: two FBOs, no customs, and the island of your choice.
Icarus Jet charter deskCost
What determines the cost of a Los Angeles to Hawaii private jet charter?
A five-hour overwater sector is priced on the aircraft, the trip shape, the island, the FBOs and the dates. These are the things that move the number on Los Angeles to Hawaii.
Aircraft
A super-midsize jet is the usual answer for eight or nine and the lowest cost that flies the sector nonstop. A heavy jet is worth it for a larger party, luggage and a cabin to sleep in. A long-range jet is fastest. The aircraft you choose is the biggest single swing in the quote.
Round trip or two one-ways
A week or more in Hawaii is usually two one-way flights, and the desk checks whether an aircraft already positioned in the islands makes the return cheaper. A short stay can keep the aircraft and crew with you, with the crew's rest days built in.
The island
Honolulu is the shortest sector. Maui, Kauai and Kona add a few minutes each, and an inter-island hop on the same aircraft or a local turboprop is quoted with the trip.
Handling and parking
FBO handling at both ends is arranged with the trip. Parking at the destination is confirmed for a stay of several days, and when the aircraft cannot stay a repositioning is priced from the start.
The season
Christmas to Easter and the summer weeks are the tightest dates for aircraft with the range, and the islands' resorts book out first. Give the desk firm dates weeks ahead for those.
What the number covers
We tell you what the quote covers before you book and we hold the operator to the number we gave you. No surprises on the invoice is the point of using the desk.
Aircraft
Which aircraft flies Los Angeles to Hawaii?
Only the aircraft with the range for the crossing are quoted on Los Angeles to Hawaii. These are the three quoted most.
Challenger 350 and Praetor 600 class
Eight to nine passengers with the range for the crossing and reserves, in five and a half to six hours, and the usual answer for a family.
Gulfstream G450 and Falcon 2000 class
Ten to sixteen passengers with full luggage, a galley and room to sleep across the Pacific, in about five and a half hours.
Gulfstream G650 and Global 6000 class
The fastest cabin over the water, about five hours, and the aircraft for a party that continues to Asia or the South Pacific.
See the aircraft we broker for the range by cabin class.
Before you fly
What should I know before flying Los Angeles to Hawaii?
It is a domestic flight, Hawaii is a state, so there is no customs. Bring government photo ID; the crew checks it at the aircraft. You can arrive at the FBO fifteen minutes before departure and drive to the aircraft. Agricultural inspection of baggage applies on the way home, as on every flight leaving Hawaii.
Five islands, five airports. Honolulu on Oahu is the main gateway with a 12,300 foot runway and FBO handling, for Waikiki, Lanikai and Pearl Harbor. Kahului on Maui is the door to Wailea, Haleakala and the Hana road. Lihue on Kauai serves the Na Pali coast. Kona on the Big Island serves the Kohala resorts and the west coast; Hilo serves the volcano side. The desk lands you on the island you are staying on.
On the Los Angeles side, Van Nuys is the airport. North of the Hollywood Hills in the San Fernando Valley, with an 8,001 foot runway for jets, a second runway for light aircraft, FBOs on both sides of the field including Signature and the Bob Hoover Jet Center, maintenance on site and no airlines at all. Greater Los Angeles has more than two dozen airports with aircraft based on them, so a departure can also leave from John Wayne in Orange County, Long Beach or Bob Hope in Burbank when that is closer to home. Los Angeles International is the field for a connection from an airline, and a hard one for a private jet, with four runways and the second busiest traffic in the country.
The clock. Hawaii keeps standard time all year, so it is three hours behind Los Angeles in summer and two in winter. A morning departure from Van Nuys lands early afternoon Hawaii time with the day ahead of you; the way home lands late, and the desk plans the westbound and eastbound legs on their own times.
When to go
When is the best time to fly Los Angeles to Hawaii?
Hawaii works year round. Christmas to Easter is the season the mainland flies in, and the summer weeks follow, so those are the tightest dates for aircraft with the range and for the island resorts. The shoulder months give the same islands with easier availability, and the whales are off Maui from December to April.
Give the desk firm dates weeks ahead for the peaks, and a few days is comfortable outside them.
Related
Los Angeles airport guides
The Los Angeles fields this sector leaves from. Los Angeles International has its own guide; the Van Nuys guide and the Hawaiian guides are being written.
Questions
Los Angeles to Hawaii private jet questions
How long is a private flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii?
About five hours on a long-range jet, five and a half on a heavy jet and up to six on a super-midsize, westbound. The way home is a little shorter with the wind. The sector is 2217 nautical miles from Van Nuys to Honolulu.
Can a light jet fly to Hawaii?
No. The sector is about 2,500 statute miles of open water with no airport in between, and light and midsize jets such as the Citation CJ2, Hawker 400XP and Phenom 300 do not have the range with reserves. A super-midsize jet is the smallest aircraft the desk quotes.
Which Hawaiian airport should I fly into?
The one on your island: Honolulu for Oahu, Kahului for Maui, Lihue for Kauai, Kona or Hilo for the Big Island. A private jet lands there directly rather than connecting through Honolulu.
Which airport do private jets use in Los Angeles?
Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley, with an 8,001 foot runway, several FBOs and no airlines. John Wayne, Long Beach and Burbank also take private jets when they are closer to home.
Which aircraft is best for Los Angeles to Hawaii?
A Challenger 350 or Praetor 600 class super-midsize for eight or nine, the usual answer. A Gulfstream G450 or Falcon 2000 class heavy jet for a larger party with luggage. A G650 or Global class long-range jet for speed or an onward leg across the Pacific.
Is there customs on a flight to Hawaii?
No, Hawaii is a state, so there is no customs. There is an agricultural inspection of baggage on the way home, as on every flight leaving the islands. The desk arranges the FBOs at Van Nuys and on your island, and the aircraft lands on the island you are staying on rather than connecting through Honolulu.
What is the time difference?
Hawaii keeps standard time all year, so it is three hours behind Los Angeles in summer and two in winter. You land earlier on the clock going out and later coming home.
Can the aircraft stay in Hawaii for the week?
Usually yes, with parking confirmed at the island FBO and the crew's rest days built in. For a longer stay two one-way flights are often cheaper, and the desk prices both.
What determines the cost of a Los Angeles to Hawaii charter?
The aircraft, which must have the range, whether the trip is a round trip or two one-ways, the island, the FBO handling and parking, and the dates against Christmas to Easter and the summer. We tell you what the quote covers before you book.
Can I fly Hawaii to Los Angeles on the same page?
Yes. The sector is quoted in both directions, and the desk checks whether an aircraft already in the islands makes the return leg cheaper. The way home is a little shorter with the wind, and the agricultural inspection of baggage applies on departure from any of the islands. Put your island as the departure in the form.
Can I hop between islands on the same trip?
Yes. The same aircraft or a local turboprop flies Honolulu to Maui, Kauai or the Big Island in under an hour, and the desk quotes it with the trip.
How much notice do I need to book Los Angeles to Hawaii?
Weeks ahead for Christmas to Easter and the summer, when aircraft with the range and the resorts both tighten. A few days is comfortable in the shoulder months.
Other routes
Other routes from the Los Angeles desk
Sectors the same desk quotes every week, each with its own guide to the airports, the aircraft and the timing.
Get your number
Los Angeles to Hawaii, quoted from the desk
Give us the dates, the passengers and the island. You will get an aircraft with the range for the crossing, both FBOs arranged and a number you can hold us to.
Get a number for your datesPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com, or send the trip online. The desk is staffed 24/7.